TCSAR Enters 2026 With New Team Leadership

For only the third time since its inception in 1993, Teton County Search & Rescue has a new Chief Advisor. On January 1, Anthony Stevens took over as Chief Advisor, replacing Cody Lockhart who stepped down after serving in the role for eight years. Previous to Lockhart, Tim Ciocarlan was chief for 24 years. The team’s original commander was Alan Merrell, who helped assemble the first team in 1993 with then Sheriff Roger Millward.

Cody Lockhart served as TCSAR’s Chief Advisor for eight years. Photo: Joey Sackett

Incoming Chief Advisor Anthony Stevens has been a TCSAR volunteer since 2015. Photo: David Bowers

The position of Chief Advisor is one of six advisors that provide team leadership for TCSAR. Each position is elected by the rest of the 43 volunteers currently serving. Collectively, the group of six is known as the Board of Advisors (BOA). The BOA is the first to be paged by Dispatch after an emergency call. The advisors then determine how the team responds to backcountry incidents. The BOA and volunteers serve under the jurisdiction of Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr.

The current Board of Advisors is as follows:

Chief Advisor: Anthony Stevens, volunteer since 2015. Stevens previously served as the team’s training advisor since 2017.

Membership Advisor: Robb Sgroi, volunteer since 2004.

Planning Advisor: Alex Norton, volunteer since 2007.

Logistics Advisor: KC Bess, volunteer since 2015.

Medical Advisor: Dr. Tobin Dennis, volunteer since 2021.

Training Advisor: Ian Johnston, volunteer since 2021.

As Lockhart exits his role as Chief Advisor, the team and Foundation offer its sincere gratitude for his unwavering commitment to serve the Jackson Hole community. 

Under his leadership, TCSAR continued to meet the moment, as he steered the volunteers to respond to ever higher call volumes with professionalism and compassion. 

Photo: David Bowers

During his tenure, in 2023, the team secured a year-round rescue helicopter, the first of its kind in the state of Wyoming and which has become a game-changer in mountain rescue across the region.. This past fall, he led TCSAR as the organization hosted the International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR), a conference that brought 600 alpine rescuers from more than 25 countries to Jackson for an entire week. Born and raised in a cattle-ranching family in Jackson, Lockhart believed in sharing the valley’s Western roots with ICAR’s international visitors. Part of making that happen was hosting a free rodeo during ICAR at the Teton County Fairgrounds, where more than 3,000 people showed up.

Beyond the headlines, Lockhart demonstrated a consistency that placed the team above the individual. Throughout his time as Chief Advisor, he led with humility, redirecting attention to the people beside him.

For 2026, Stevens steers a ship that will see 10 new volunteers become operational members, joining the other 33 members. As the founder of Wounded Bear Medicine and the team’s previous training advisor, Stevens brings vast knowledge of wilderness medicine and mountain rescue to the role. Stevens is a lifelong Jackson resident, and he and his wife have three children.

On the Second Day of Christmas...

On the second day of Christmas, TCSAR gave to me… super pro high-angle rigging.

After a lot of practice, that is!

Rigging for rescue is just one of the many disciplines the volunteers attempt to master during their extensive SAR training. The skill is critical to help someone who is injured in steep, technical terrain.

Learning the ropes takes time and dedication, attention to detail, and just a wee bit of untangling.

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast: How TCSAR Volunteers Rely on their Heli Training

When operating around the helicopter, TCSAR volunteers follow this important mantra: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

“There’s a lot going on–lots of noise, wind and things move pretty fast–so it can be nice to slow things down,” says Ian Johnston, who joined the team just this past year and went through his inaugural helicopter training. “We don’t ever rush when we’re around the helicopter. Pilot Steve Wilson is as cool as a cucumber and will allow you to figure out what you need to do to complete the mission.”

Ashley Didion, another new volunteer, recalls how much her training came into play on her first heli mission.

We are about halfway to reaching our goal for providing a year's worth of training and equipment purchases for TCSAR volunteers! If you haven't donated yet, please know that all contributions are currently doubled and go directly toward TCSAR's emergency helicopter operations. Double your impact today!

"My first heli rescue happened March 13, 2021,” she says. “There were two lost skiers in the backcountry, unprepared to stay the night. It was this experience that relayed to me how strategic the team's training had been. I knew my gear, the steps to prepare for a safe flight, was prepared for communication with my helmet and radio, could enter and exit without hesitation, and knew the roles of my teammates. These skills of preparation and communication were already seeded and well rooted."

About 45 minutes before sundown, the team spotted the lost skiers from the air, landed nearby and flew them out of the backcountry so they might ski another day.

"I was boggled by how small they were," Didion says. "There is a skill in sighting a person from the air."

She stresses how much emphasis TCSAR places on collective team humility and understanding.

"There is no pride or shaming on this team, especially around the heli," Didion says. "We put ourselves at risk to save others, and this risk is never forgotten, it is never misunderstood. The pilot always says how many 'souls' he has on board. We put our souls into our training and rescues, and I love how it is never unrecognized by all on the team."

Thank you to everyone who has already donated during this Heli-Yes! campaign. Your contributions truly make a difference in people's lives.